Commentary: New Mexico State Senator Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo) today called on Governor Susana Martinez to withdraw the state’s National Guard troops from the U.S.-Mexico border. In her letter, Senator Lopez questions the governor’s support of President Trump’s policy that has led to the separation of more than 2000 children from their parents. Lopez goes on to state that these recent actions run counter to the mission of the National Guard, and they should therefore be pulled from deployment.
Earlier this month in an interview Governor Martinez reiterated her support for the “zero tolerance” policy that has been met with vehement objections from leaders across the country.
President Trump signed a memorandum ordering National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in April of this year, to address a “surge of illegal activity.” In recent days, the governors of Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland have ordered soldiers from their states to return from their missions at the border. Governors from several other states have stated that, if asked, they will not dispatch troops to the southern border, signaling their disagreement with the Administration’s current immigration policy.